samsung galaxy s4 mini

The community behind LineageOS, the successor to the ill-fated CyanogenMod ROM, continues to impress. New devices are constantly being added to the build roster, and we're even seeing new software features crop up, like custom Quick Settings tiles. Now the project has started supporting nine additional devices.

The Galaxy S4 is nearly a year old now, but that doesn't mean Samsung's done releasing new variations of it. Today the company has officially announced a new "Black Edition" of the flagship that comes with the plastic, faux-stitched back panel that first appeared with the debut of the Note 3.The new S4 model is joined by a variation of the S4 mini that looks the same, just smaller.

The new Galaxy S4 and S4 mini come with black power adapters, data cables, and headphones (as opposed to the usual white ones). They will also come preloaded with a set of eight wallpapers and a few new ringtones.

Here's the inside scoop - people love Samsung Galaxy devices. So if you're a carrier looking to pick up more customers, you're going to want to offer them more Galaxy devices. And what's one thing that's sure to catch the average consumers eye? It's not specs, nor is it build quality. It's color. Enter the pink Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini on AT&T, the latest leak shared by @evleaks.

Okay, okay, there are many reasons not to be interested in this story, and I'm going to acknowledge these right off the bat. The Galaxy S4 Mini is not exactly a new device anymore, and it wasn't nearly as powerful as the flagship device it's based on even when it was. Likewise, people aren't likely to turn to Sprint in search of a speedy network connection. In a way, the device and the carrier are a match made in heaven. So I'll cut to the case - @evleaks has posted an image of the Galaxy S4 Mini with Sprint branding.

There's a chance this may be the SPH-L520 that was recently approved by the FCC, a device that's only slightly larger than the Galaxy S4 Mini and supports an LTE frequency native to Sprint.

Update 6/29/13: The original price for these was $539.99, but it's since been dropped to $499.99.

The Galaxy S4 Mini isn't as powerful as the original S4, its screen isn't as nice, nor is it as easy to find. That said, an unlocked version of Galaxy S4 Mini is available today-only on eBay for $499.99. It's not that much cheaper than the full-sized version, but that may not matter for people with smaller hands or tighter pockets. 5-inches can be too much phone for some users, regardless of the price.

Today's discount applies to both the black and white versions of the device, so have at it.